Closing California Wine Month with love for our local vino

As California Wine Month draws to a close, we ask the Superdiners to recommend some of the local vino.

Vesper Vineyards(15030 Vesper Road, Valley Center. 760-749-1300 or vespervineyards.com). They are working with non-typical varietals that I think suit the local market very well. I tried their Cinsault in July and it was a great pairing with a rabbit dish. Definitely up and coming! — Jeff Josenhans, director of beverage outlets and sommelier at U.S. Grant Hotel

Is Valle de Guadalupe considered local? If so, Viñas de Garza(vinosdegarza.com) would be my top local spot south of the border. It’s located out in the warm desert but has a Napa Valley feel and plenty of barrel tastings of Tempranillo and cabernet sauvignon in their caves. On this side of the border I turn to Carruth Cellars(320 South Cedros Ave. Solana Beach. 858-847-9463 or carruthcellars.com) as a wine club member. (They have a Liberty Station location opening soon.) They get their award-winning grapes from Paso Robles, Napa and Sonoma. I’m looking forward to Costa Azul Winery (costaazulwinery.com) which is currently under construction at 934 N. Coast Highway in Encinitas. — Randee Stratton, real estate broker, avid diner

My palate has changed recently to favor Old World-style European wines. Most of the local wines I’ve tried don’t fit that bill. For several years I was a member of the Ambassador’s Club at Orfila Vineyards & Winery (13455 San Pasqual Road Escondido. 800-868-9463 or orfila.com). The Ambassador’s Reserve Merlot is a great wine. I still have 1998 through 2003 in my cellar, and they have stood the test of time rather well. I also recently had a sauvignon blanc from Fallbrook Winery (2554 Vía Rancheros, Fallbrook. 760-728-0156 or fallbrookwinery.com) that was more reminiscent of a Sancerre than a Napa Valley sauvignon blanc. It may be time to start exploring the local juice again. — Dave Morgan, CPA, avid diner

A local winery I enjoy going to is Bernardo Winery. I love that it’s close enough where we don’t have to drive up to Temecula to check out Riverside County’s wineries. Bernardo’s onsite eatery, Cafe Merlot, also has great food. You can’t go wrong with good wine and great eats. — Joanne Arellano, human resources professional, avid Yelper, avid diner

It’s a shame when most San Diegans quest for local wine, they make the trek north to Temecula. Especially when that trip up I-15 takes vine voyagers past Fallbrook Winery where the whites are far less sugary and the reds much more complex. Next time Callaway calls, take a detour onto the CA-76 and find more than ample reward for choosing the road less traveled in the spice and dark fruit of their 33 Degree North BDX ’08 cab sauv blend. — Brandon Hernández, food writer (Twitter @offdutyfoodie)

My beloved wife is a chardonnay drinker, so I am one by default, so we both love Fallbrook Winery. We enjoy driving there and getting a case of chardonnay and a case of their 33 Degree Sangiovese. We’ve really got it all down here in Southern California, don’t we? — Fabrice Poigin, private chef, restaurant consultant

Temecula has a rising star: Palumbo Family Vineyards. Many wineries in Temecula try to produce robust, hearty wine, but most fail. Palumbo’s cabernet can rival some of my favorite Napa/Sonoma red wines. Their Syrah and Sangiovese are also noteworthy. As for whites, their Vognier is my fave. — Charles Kaufman, baker, owner of Bread & Cie Café

My favorite is The Blue Door (2608 B St. Julian. 760-765-0361 or thebluedoorwinery.com). Marc Hashagen is a passionate winemaker always ready to have a conversation about his products. Find him in the city frequently or their tasting room in downtown Julian. — Ricardo Heredia, executive chef at Alchemy Restaurant

Want to visit Napa from the ‘70s? Then head straight for the Guadalupe Valley (aka Valle de Guadalupe), a hop and a skip north-east of Ensenada. Not only do I love this area and the food, from Laja restaurant to the street tacos. But the wines being produced there are simply world class — 90 percent of all wines made in Mexico are from here, including L. A. Cetto (cettowines.com), but avoid their inexpensive ones. Be sure to visit one of my personal favorites, the Adobe Guadalupe Vineyard (adobeguadalupe.com), the owner, Don Miller, is THE consummate host! Now if Mexico can just sort out its exorbitant tax system, then we’d all find these liquid gems more affordable! — Andrew Spurgin, consulting chef and event architect, andrewspurgin.com

My colleague and The Grand Del Mar’s wine director tell me that the best local winery is Fallbrook Winery, “hands down.” Jesse Rodriguez says that owner Ira Gourvitz and his staff are a class act! — William Bradley, executive chef at Addison

Orfila Winery in Escondido is one that I’ve visited (and wrote about for the U-T). It’s been around for a good minute and the wines are good, the tasting room is enticing and the private guest areas are very attractive. Overall, though, I’d be lying if I said any San Diego wines are consistently exceeding Sonoma, Napa or even Washington State standards, but it’s great to see emerging vineyards here and in nearby Mexico worth supporting. — Gerald “Dex” Poindexter, publicist, avid diner (Twitter @SuperdinerDex)

We’ve established that I grew up in Paso Robles and I partial to local wines from my home town but with that being said I did have a great San Diego local wine experience recently while dining at the Marine Room in La Jolla. Chef Bernard Guillas was nice enough to host a fantastic tasting menu, taking his guests on a culinary journey based on his new cookbook with the help of his talented sommelier Lisa Redwine (yes, her last name is Redwine). Lisa selected an amazing wine pairing for each course and one of those selections was the Thornton Winery Tempranillo. This well rounded wine was an unexpected surprise from the Temecula valley wine region and I highly recommend it, if you can find a bottle. — David Salisbury, a law firm’s director of business development, avid diner

Chris and Alysha at Vesper Vineyards are producing really excellent wine and experimenting with what it means for San Diego County to be a wine region. They are taking us to the next level! — Robin Taylor, organic farmer at Suzie’s Farm and Sun Grown Organic Distributors